Free Republic

The fight over Southie’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade got frosty yesterday, with Boston Beer Co. pulling its longtime sponsorship from the parade over the organizers’ refusal to let gay veterans march — and one Southie bar fighting back with a vow to boycott the brew. “Sam Adams doesn’t support South Boston. They don’t want to support veterans like my father and uncle, so they can go sell their beer elsewhere,” said Tommy Flaherty Jr., a lifelong Southie resident whose father and uncle own the landmark Cornerstone Pub & Restaurant on West Broadway. Flaherty Jr. said he and his father, Thomas...

The makers of Sam Adams and Heineken beer say they are withdrawing their sponsorship of St. Patrick's Day parades because organizers exclude gay groups. Boston Beer Co., Sam Adam's brewer, said in a statement Friday that it is disappointed that an agreement couldn't be reached between the gay rights advocacy group MassEquality and Boston parade organizers that would have allowed gay veterans to march. Meanwhile, Heineken USA said it was withdrawing from the New York City parade, and told CNBC on Friday: "We believe in equality for all. We are no longer a sponsor of Monday's parade." The decisions came...